When I read David McCullough's book, 1776, I was fascinated by the number of instances where our fledgling nation seemed likely to be snuffed out before it even got started - when something unexpected happened to change the course of history. My favorite story begins after the British have easily captured the city of Boston. George Washington and his army are camped outside of the city, and the situation seems hopeless. Then Colonel Henry Knox accepts the assignment of traveling north to Fort Ticonderoga at the Canadian border. The fort is no longer occupied, but it has several cannon that are sitting there unused. Somehow - in a feat that still seems impossible today - Henry Knox and his men managed to drag sixty tons of cannons over 300 miles to give General Washington what he needed to reclaim the city. In a single night they dragged the cannon to the top of Dorchester Heights and pointed them down on the city. The British needed very little urging to pack their things and leave the city, giving the colonists a victory and much needed boost to their moral. (The outcome would have been different if the British had learned that there was no gunpowder available to fire the cannon. They were an empty threat.)

Many Americans are standing outside their foreclosed homes, watching as the bankers sell off the property to someone else. Fortunately for patriots, the "big cannon" in each county is the Constitutionally elected Sheriff. The Sheriff's job description is to defend the lives, Liberty, and property of the citizens from the rapacious appetite of the state and federal governments. The Sheriff has the legitimate authority to expel federal agents from the county. Many of them have actually had the courage to do exactly that. Imagine what life would be like if we could multiply that effect nationwide!

Sheriff Richard Mack is about to do exactly that. I am one of several people helping Richard organize an event in Las Vegas on January 30th. The plan is to invite two hundred county sheriffs from around the country to reinforce their understanding of the power they legitimately have. The all day program will begin with a one-hour presentation on the Bill of Rights that I will have the privilege of presenting. I will focus on the philosophical principles of our republic, and end with the Tenth Amendment. Sheriff Mack will begin his presentation which focuses on the Tenth Amendment, and the implications of his successful Supreme Court decision which upholds the states power over the federal government.

Several other speakers will present important information on the Second Amendment, the proper role of government, and the history of the sheriff. There will also be several Sheriffs who have been invited to tell their personal stories of confronting tyranny - and successfully repelling it. Everything is coming together to equal the nearly impossible feat of Henry Knox. The only thing we still need to guarantee the success of this project is a contribution from YOU! We are marching ahead as planned, but we need money to fly the sheriffs who accept the invitation to the event and provide them with food and lodging. We can "reclaim the city of Boston"! We have the "cannons" in the form of Sheriffs willing to defend the Constitution, but we need your "gunpowder" in the form of numerous financial contributions. Please visit www.CountySheriffProject.org to make as generous contribution as you possibly can.

Please watch this newsletter for my report on the event shortly after it happens.